"Its performance, especially the success in rescuing all the passengers, has been given the thumbs up by global public opinion", the Global Times said in an editorial on the Xue Long's rescue of the Shokalskiy passengers. "China should be proud of it."

"Xue Long's mission is an epitome of China's attitude toward its international obligations", it added.

The Chinese ship afterwards became surrounded by ice itself, and an effort to break free early on Saturday was unsuccessful.

It has 101 people on board, while 22 crew remain on the trapped Shokalskiy.

The ice surrounding the Xue Long was up to 4m thick, with the nearest open waters 21km away, Xinhua reported.

But it added that the Chinese ship has enough food to last until April and enough fresh water for the next month.

The Snow Dragon's escape means that the Shokalskiy now remains trapped in the ice alone. But the Polar Star, a US Coast Guard icebreaker that had been dispatched to come to the aid of the trapped ships, is expected to arrive on Sunday.

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